Found this story through some art on tumblr, and read through it all! Amazingly written stuff. Loved it!

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
[X] I like a Dark Orange a lot. Not fully brown but close.

I want to see Marisa scrounging around for mushrooms. It's enrichment for her.

>>212663
Least subjective call to action ever.

You're really underselling the sheer potential of Outsider Nuerisa.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

I was starting to think it's been a while since we saw Koishi. Guess she's still on the trial for the fumo. And maybe find her sister/get Greg a roach UL, but mostly the fumo. I'll look forward to whatever goose chase she causes.

A couple of posts/threads back there was an interesting theory. It stated that Greg was a Shikigami, on the basis of Miko's reply being that his desire is to serve. I'd like to bring that up again and theorize that Greg is actually Sumireko's (!) Shikigami. When Greg and Sumireko were picking options to deal with a "Greg mind reading out of control" problem, we never learned of the exact solution they've made, if I remember right, only that it was a seal. If so, it's possible that he got along with her this fine partly because he was a half-youkai and, well, everything Shikigami process entails on his Youkai half. A half-Shikigami.
Please do not smoke, it's unbecoming. And please do not smoke at this post in particular.

>>212639
Hey, that was me who posted that theory! I never even considered that as a possibility. And ya know what? I really dig it. Really looking forward to the reveal of Greg's exact nature by Lost Soul, but theorizing is just as fun.

Nothing to apologize for!
Thanks for the catches. Can't do much about it here, but I'll make note of it for if and when I reupload it elsewhere.

The sentence about the S was meant to go as follows:
>> The English character for S, drawn with sharp edges, could be seen, its vibrant yellow contrasting with the dark colour of the wooden plank)

Rather interesting that we haven't had a Mima perspective so far.

Also didn't post after the previous chapter, but the SDM chapter was incredible! way to go Remilia!

Rinnosuke held his right eye closed and his hands steady as he took the carving knife to the wood. A Gohei was, fortunately, composed of a simple cylinder, not too terribly hard a shape to make. Even still, a mistake here would mean returning to the Mikohana, burying his mistake, and taking a new cross section of the tree’s bark.

Far from ideal.

He was making good progress as it was though, the shape turning out as he desired. Just a few more minutes and it would be ready to go.

A loud shout broke Rinnosuke’s quiet concentration, almost making him slice his finger.

“I’m back! Miss me, Kourin?”

Of course, it was Marisa. She strolled in with a big grin on her face and the skateboard tucked underneath her armpit. There was a clump of grass stuck on the top of her hat brim, indicating that she had fallen over while riding it.

“Goodness Marisa, knock before you enter. I almost cut myself.”

Marisa blinked curiously, taking in the sight of Rinnosuke woodcarving, a flash of recognition going through her eyes when she looked at the Mikohana bark.

“Ooh, you’re carving out that magic wood from that Mikohana thingy.” She observed.

Rinnosuke wanted to clarify that it was an artisanal wood, hallowed by Hakurei tradition, but he was well aware that it was a losing battle. Unless it was in pursuit of her magic, Marisa was much less detail-oriented than Rinnosuke was.

“Yes, I’m crafting a gohei for Reimu. Why do you ask?”

“Well, the gohei is like a stick, right? Why not just get one of the branches?”

It was a good question. A stick would be a much more straightforward starting point than the surface of the tree itself.

“Well asked. But the branches were quite high. I’m not very good at flight, so I didn’t want to risk the chance of slipping out of a tree and injuring myself.”

Marisa chuckled at the image. Rinnosuke had not actually said that as a joke, but he let her enjoy it as one regardless.

“Aw, Kourin, if you’re scared of heights, you could have let me do it. I could fly up there and pluck one of those branches no problem!” She boasted.
Rinnosuke wasn’t so sure. “The branches are,

Really looking forward to the Marisa vote! It'll be the first one I can actually participate in as I only got into this fic during this arc...

Kosuzu took a slow, deep breath, trying to reason it out.

“If… if I did choose to be just a Motoori again -”

“We would both still be planning to tutor you,” Yukari responded. “Your first few lessons would differ, but we will teach you everything we could, of course.”

Ran nodded in firm agreement. “We want you to be the strongest you can be, Kosuzu. Anything we can do to help you, we will.”

The young kitsune looked between the two of them. She took a deep breath, asking just one question.

“You… think it’s better for me to hide, don’t you?”

Yukari knelt down. “We think it will be safer for you. Perhaps, in the fullness of time-”

“I… I never minded the thought of becoming a youkai, in my past life. Perhaps I was too curious for my own good.” Kosuzu stepped forward. “And I know that it was stupid, and reckless… but I still wasn’t afraid.”

She sighed. “But… once I actually became a youkai, I’ve been nothing but afraid. Running away from things. Trying to hide when I was hurting. Letting Tsukasa walk all over me.”

“I know… I know it’s safer, and probably less stressful for everyone if I go back to my old family,” Kosuzu admitted. She put her hand to her chest. “And I know that if I stay with them only, I’ll still be able to grow in skill. But…”

She clutched at her chest, looking up at Ran and Yukari. “But hiding away is what a kuda-gitsune does. And I’m not a tube fox - I’m a kitsune.”

She focused. “Me and my friends - we’re going to be fighting to protect the world. I can’t just run and hide away from my problems. I need to face them head-on. I need to get stronger, I need to be braver. So… I’m not going to just claim I’m some stray fox. I’m keeping both of my families.”

For a long moment, neither of the elder youkai spoke. Kosuzu’s resolve started to falter, as Yukari seemed to mull it over.

“You’re certain of this?” Ran asked, one final time. Kosuzu… nodded, firmly.

After a long, long moment… the sage shrugged, a grin slipping out from behind her veneer of professionalism. “Ah well, we tried

Thank you for this perfect ending. Kosuzu’s thought process got called pretty quickly, but it still feels so impactful because she chose, in the end.

>>212140
Adorable mom cosplays... I appreciate the boldness of putting Ms. Has Not Appeared In This Story front and center but completely obscuring all of her features.

Small details I noticed!
- I was confused by Okuu's Koistume having a closed eye, but she'd totally remember timeline B's Koishi that way, so it's a little tribute to her.
- Reimu has little holes in her headband for her horn-nubs.
- All of them hold their baskets slightly differently, with Kosuzu even having to use her actual tail to match the pose.

Thank you for all the amazing art, and Happy Halloween to you as well!

>>212140

Love the picture, especially the Marisa in the back as a Ghost giving Mima rep!

While it may be unintentional, I also like the idea that Okuu accidentally made a costume of Universe B Koishi instead of Universe C Koishi, if only because it paints a funny image that while she can mostly keep the details between those two lives separate, she still mixes them up occasionally

>>212140

Thank you again for all the wonderful pictures, Kosu!

This one came as no surprise to me personally. Kosu approached me with the idea of all the original ICs dressed as their moms for halloween, including Marisa hidden as a sheet ghost. Then I was the one who came up with an idea for how she could still fit the theme.

We've actually already got draft designs of Marisa's options waiting in the wings. We've been sitting on them for a little while, in fact.

But if you want to see them, there's only one way forwards! onwards, to thread ten! >>212143

“Master, shouldn’t we start on the outside?.”

“Nonsense, You heard Eirin yesterday, we will be doing inside for now.”

“So what are we doing today?.”

Both Master and I are sitting cross-legged in the hospital bed after she barged in the middle of a conversation I was having with Reisen while eating my breakfast.

“That’s easy.” Master sticks her hand into her dress's pocket and pulls a purple ball with a yin-yang orb. It is very similar to the one she uses when dueling Marisa (which happened), but this orb seems a bit more familiar.

“Master I am sure I have seen this before.”

“Yes and you made it when you killed that monster that knocked you out when you first appeared in Gensokyo”

“I made it? But how?.” Heck, I don't remember beating that thing.

“I theorized that when you first came into contact with the Shrine, the Hakurei God probably intervened on your behalf to save you, however, you lack the training and the stamina to manipulate and create true yin yang orbs and the result was you being knocked out and... this” She shovels the 'thing' in my direction which I almost fail to catch.

After securing it in my hand, although said orb is quite small, I feel like the various scratches and the huge crack in the middle of it, indicate that this thing has stood quite a beating.

"I am going to train you in manipulating these orbs, since they are simpler than, say, learning how to fly" I guess learning how to fly will be a thing on my agenda.

"First, close your eyes and try to feel the presence of this object in your hand, just close your eyes and try to listen to it" Very abstract but I will try.

Closing my eyes and shiting my attention guided towards the thing in my hands, I can feel a uhh…presence? I can picture a ball in my hand from it, although the orb’s presence is so weak that any loss of focus makes me "lose" the object's presence, but what intrigues me is that I am sure I had felt this "presence" thing Master talked about.

“Master, I am sure that I felt this when I was at the Shrine but much stronger, why so?” To tell the t

Coming up with a cool ability to my MC that wasn't so op but not unless was a hard thing to do but here we are.

Also these was supposed to be more stuff in this chapter but I decided to split in two, next chapter the MC will learn that Tewi can't help but do another trolling to save her life.

Lad spends some time pondering his orb, as you do.

More seriously, a sensory ability is a useful boon, especially if your field of vision tends to get clogged up by bullets.

>>211829 here.

Remember this?
>“The big mistake I made was underestimating Reimu herself. Trying to curb her potential. I tried to quash her unique qualities, when they were exactly what she needed to make it through.” Yachie raised a finger. “Likewise, allow me to say, do not underestimate young Kosuzu. I believe there’s quite a bit of potential lurking just beneath the surface there.”
Adding as a write-in to either vote:
-{X} Ms. Yachie said it best, we all have the potential to help you all.

It's basically voicing the thought but gives the adults a reason not to push back on the idea.

[UNDO] “I can fight too! Let me join you!” She couldn't get her worry about Reimu and Mayumi out of her head.

[X] “Can we do anything to help here?” There had to be something two young scholars and a living computer could do.

I'll repeat myself in that I did not actually expect Yukari actually letting them go with her, but I can agree that these three might be more useful in the backline, especially since Yumemi would probably be left alone otherwise. Let them stay with Yachie, maybe even helping organize the defense.
There might be something else in Ran's grimoire to help (apart from the scope), who knows.

New thread:

>>211848

I guess Alice might also have some anger to burn off, between her best friend getting hospitalised and her initial set of allies getting party wiped and Shanghaied.

Ran: God I hate Jiangshi, fuck them, they're abominations, they're gross, they're dumb, aaaaaaaand she's right behind me isn't she?

>>211521

My guess is she was interested in testing out the limits of a Jiangshi. Anything in the name of a living doll.

I somewhat agree with >>211460. I've tried to be engaged with this story, because I like it, but it's been difficult. The cadence of updates has made things hard to keep track of, and then the rather convoluted nature of things going on after a certain point just adds a further barrier to trying to re-read yet again after a new update is posted. I don't remember who's who, what they've done, or what any of it means, so making any kind of meaningful comment on anything, much less an informed vote, is exceedingly difficult. Anymore, I feel I don't have the mental bandwidth. I can maybe try, but I can't guarantee anything.

The situation is generally regrettable. I would like to be here for this story and see it to its end, and most importantly be actively participating as a member of the audience, but price of entry has become a bit high.

I actually like that the story has become what it is now. Makes it feel like it evolved past its shitpost origins but still has it tie to the current story.

The other anons did a good job at pointing out the absolutely fucking abysmal update schedule, so I'll just leave it at that. And when the fuck are you going to update Excuse again?

>>211465
Awoo has at least had three updates in the past year. Poor Kyouko has had one update in the past two years! This injustice must be righted!

>>211449

it would also end up a bit funny when Akyuu gets the full description of Sanae and go... "HEY, WAITAMINUTE! I saw her all the time when the Watasuki sisters wanted to pet a bunny!"

>>211436
>>211444
I like the idea of fairy Marisa as well! Firstly, it fits her mischievous and somewhat short-sighted personality well; secondly, the camaraderie of fairies, chaotic as it may be, would be a nice contrast to the depressingly dysfunctional family relationship of Kosuzu and Tsukasa in this arc; and thirdly, weak as fairies may generally be, being a fairy *would* give Marisa one very useful ability: being able to resurrect endlessly as long as she is not "erased at a conceptual level".

Ah, whoops.

New thread here:

>>211466